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The Donquixote Pirates were formed by Donquixote Doflamingo, who along with his brother, Donquixote Rosinante, were originally World Nobles. They lost their status when their father "betrayed" his title.[3] Doflamingo used the knowledge of Mariejois' national treasure to blackmail the Celestial Dragons for his lost rights.[4][5]

Because he was no longer allowed to return to Mariejois for his father's irreversible choice, Doflamingo was forced to become a pirate while his younger brother, Rosinante, disappeared to become a Marine. Doflamingo swore to destroy the very world that his former fellow Celestial Dragons lord over. Before all of this, Doflamingo at age 10 already met Trebol and Vergo. They chose him to become their new leader. They then gathered a crew, with Doflamingo being the captain, while Rosinante later on became the second Corazon after Vergo retired from the position and left to join the marines as a spy for Doflamingo; conversely, Rosinante wished to stop Doflamingo's madness, and secretly joined the Marines to spy on him.[6] 16 years ago, with the exception of Monet, Sugar and Violet, all the other executives had already joined Doflamingo's crew. At this point, besides other regular pirating activities, they dealt in trade of Devil Fruits. Anyone ranked "executive or higher" are considered to be Doflamingo's family, as he lost his mother at age 8 and killed his father two years later.[7] Eleven years before the Battle of Marineford, Doflamingo killed Rosinante, after his younger brother had taken a young new recruit, Trafalgar Law, away from the crew for a cure for the Amber Lead Syndrome, which also aroused the suspicion that Marines had stopped attacking the crew since Rosinante's departure. This incident left the Heart seat, and the title Corazon, vacant. Law, who came to admire Rosinante for all the care they shared during this six months journey, swore revenge on Doflamingo for this murder,[8] despite Doflamingo seeing Law as a brother and even reserving the title and seat Corazon for him.[9]

Ten years ago, the Donquixote Family (as this pirate incarnation) returned to their kingdom and drove out the family that replaced them, the Riku Family.[10]Viola joined the crew to save her father from Doflamingo, and went under the alias Violet.[11]

Trafalgar Law was once a subordinate whom Doflamingo treated as a younger brother before his defection.[12]Vergo was apparently the first member of the crew,[13] and Law's senior,[14] but before becoming famous, he enlisted in the Marines to serve as a mole on behalf of Joker for the last fifteen years.[15] Eight years before the start of the series, Doflamingo joined the Shichibukai, and the crew was allowed to stay at Dressrosa,[16] with Doflamingo attaining kingship at the same time.[17] The Bellamy Pirates also swore their allegiance to the crew, and were permitted to use its Jolly Roger.[18]

At some point in the past four years, Doflamingo formed a three-way alliance with the rogue Marine scientist Caesar Clown and Kaido, in order to create SAD and SMILE artificial Devil Fruit, to create an army of Zoan class users within the New World.[19] However, needing Caesar for the SAD production and not trusting him, Doflamingo assigned Vergo and Monet to function as an intermediate and deep cover agent to monitor and protect him on his behalf to ensure his safety of his investment.[20]

After Bellamy's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Straw Hat captain, Doflamingo arrived and tortuously punished Bellamy and Sarkies, and proceeded to dismiss their crew from his command due to their captain suffering such an easy defeat, falling out of the expected standards. Doflamingo then goes on about how the world should be prepared for the New Era.[21]

While Doflamingo participated in the Battle of Marineford, Law, having formed his own crew, became an infamous rookie and arrived in the war to rescue Monkey D. Luffy. Law successfully escaped with Luffy in the crew's hands from the Marines while Doflamingo emerged from the war unharmed.

Later, Bellamy and his crew eventually entered Sky Island. Although he lost his crew, Bellamy survived,[22] and brought back a giant pillar of gold to present to Doflamingo, thus giving him another chance. Since then, Bellamy has grown greatly in strength, in the hopes of redeeming himself. He was even offered a position as an officer within the crew on the condition that he win in the Corrida Colosseum, and has become very popular within Dressrosa due to his steadfast devotion to Doflamingo.[23]

Law revealed his rebellion against the Donquixote Pirates by attacking the SAD production room and attempted to kidnap Caesar by forming an alliance with the Straw Hats. Doflamingo ordered Vergo to brutally eliminate Law, but Law succeeded in defeating his senior and, indirectly, killing Monet. Doflamingo, in turn, sent Baby 5 and Buffalo to clean things up and retrieve Caesar, and, upon seeing that Monet failed to detonate the island's chemical weapon as ordered, decided to enter the island himself. However, Baby 5 and Buffalo were swiftly incapacitated by the Straw Hat Pirates, and then Caesar was also captured after his failed attempt to escape alone to Dressrosa.

Taking Caesar hostage, Law cut apart Buffalo and Baby 5, and left their heads on the SAD tanker's rescue raft to drift towards the incoming Doflamingo, with a Den Den Mushi to contact him. Law threatened his former captain to resign from his Shichibukai position to continue negotiations with Caesar as the collateral.

After his attempt to kill the G-5 Marines being thwarted by Kuzan's arrival, Doflamingo retrieved Baby 5 and Buffalo, body and head, and returned to Dressrosa.

In an attempt of misdirection, Doflamingo falsified his resignation from the Shichibukai,[5] and the news printed out his supposed departure, leading to a massive uproar in the kingdom and the world beyond it.[24] While the various members prepared in their own ways in the prospect of the Marines, Doflamingo gathered his top three subordinates to have them prepare for Luffy's arrival, with a certain object to act as a deterrent.[25]

Many members of the crew participated in the Corrida Colosseum for that deterrent, which was offered as a prize for the champion. Bellamy also participated, but not for the prize, instead for a chance to be promoted to a higher-ranking position within the crew. Bellamy ultimately lost to Elizabello II's King Punch attack, but was given one more chance by Doflamingo, if he can assassinate Luffy. However, with little faith of Bellamy's success, Doflamingo saw him as an eyesore once again, and ordered Dellinger to prepare to eliminate Bellamy upon the expected failure to occur. Dellinger did not even wait for Bellamy to at least try to assassinate Luffy before attacking him, though Bartolomeo stopped this.

Sanji was informed by Violet, who only joined Doflamingo grudgingly to save her father, about the resignation being fake. During the trade for Caesar, he reported it to Law, who was responsible for bringing the hostage. By then, it was too late, as Doflamingo arrived to Green Bit, alongside AdmiralFujitora and his battalion of Marine soldiers.[5] In front of the Marines, Doflamingo immediately declared Caesar as his subordinate, thus drafting the rogue scientist into his crew while pardoning him of his crimes. While Caesar stood aside with the soldiers, Doflamingo and Issho partnered up (to an extent) against Law, who lost his Shichibukai status for allying with the Straw Hats as equals.[26] Law was completely overwhelmed by Doflamingo, and was shot down after suffering a brutal beating.[27]

As one team of Straw Hat Pirates went into pursuit for Law, the second team with Caesar on board of the Thousand Sunny was pursued by the Big Mom Pirates, who were after the scientist.[28] The third team of the Straw Hats allied themselves with the dwarves of the Tontatta Kingdom, intending to take down Sugar and destroying the Donquixote Pirates' hold over Dressrosa.[29] Though they met with some complications, their plan ultimately succeeded,[30] and upon the toys returning to their true forms and memories returned to the citizens, Doflamingo was immediately ousted from the throne while the crew members failed to quell the rebelling citizens. Kyros then immediately took advantage of Doflamingo's distraction to decapitate him, much to Baby 5 and Buffalo's horror.[31] Buffalo attacked Kyros but was defeated in an instant and was thrown out of the window.[32] Doflamingo was still alive even after he was decapitated, turning out to be a clone made of his strings.[33]

Having lost his grip on the country, Doflamingo decided to execute his Birdcage plan, sealing off the entire island from the outside world and rearranging the landscape with Pica's powers. He then threatened the islanders into participating a bounty hunting game, on the grounds that if they kill him or the people he listed out, he would spare their lives; otherwise, he would end up killing them all.[33]

The crew is divided into three subdivisions, with Doflamingo himself having complete dominance over everyone. Doflamingo's most powerful and/or trusted members are allowed to sit on seats represented by the four suits of cards: Heart, Club, Diamond, and Spade.[25] The Heart seat, after the first Corazon's abdication and the second's death,[8] was reserved for Law, though his defection and the unexpected eating of the Ope Ope no Mi made it vacant.[9] The Club, Diamond, and Spade seats belong to Trebol, Diamante, and Pica, respectively. Below these three elite officers are ten other officers, who are divided amongst the three elites, serving them in divisions that each specialize in a certain aspect for missions. These officers and Doflamingo are in command of over 2000 soldiers, which includes the likes of Bellamy, within Dressrosa.[34]

Aside from the ten officers and three elites, there were two other officers abroad: Monet and Vergo. It is unknown which division (if any) Monet belonged to before her death, but Vergo was an elite officer similar to Trebol, Diamante and Pica prior to his demise, as he was the first Corazon.[34] Bellamy had been offered a chance to become an officer should he win the Corrida Colosseum[23] or assassinate Monkey D. Luffy,[35] but his constant failures led to him being dismissed as a whole, with Dellinger ordered to assassinate him for his incompetence.[27]

The five people who held the titles of Elite Officers are well aware of Doflamingo's past as a Celestial Dragon and more or less completely understand his personality, as they have the privilege of being the closest to him.[6] Any other officers have less privilege than that, but nevertheless they have great authority and respect from their captain.[7]

The Trebol Army (トレーボル軍,Torēboru-gun?) is a subdivision of the Donquixote Pirates, led by Trebol, that specializes in missions that require users with special powers. Violet[36], Jora[35], and Sugar are officers in this army. Violet eventually defected and is declared a traitor for attacking the other members when they detained Sanji. Sugar is a special officer of this army, and therefore would be ranked slightly higher than the other nine executives, as she can turn people into toys. Thus, she is the one responsible for Doflamingo being able to keep his position as king, which is why she is always protected by Trebol himself.[29]

The Diamante Army (ディアマンテ軍,Diamante-gun?) is a subdivision of the Donquixote Pirates, led by Diamante, that specializes in fighting missions. Lao G, Senor Pink, Machvise, and Dellinger are officers in this army. All four officers of this division are reigning participants of the Corrida Colosseum, and is said that they have 100% victory whenever they enter. This is the only division to have four officers.

The Donquixote Pirates are a very powerful crew, as their captain is a world famous pirate, a member of the Shichibukai with a former bounty of 340,000,000 and the ruler of the kingdom Dressrosa. Doflamingo himself, along with crew members (past and present) Bellamy, Trafalgar Law, Monet, Baby 5, Caesar Clown, Buffalo, Jora, Trebol, Senor Pink, Machvise, Violet, Diamante, Pica, Gladius, Sugar, and Corazon (in secret) are all known Devil Fruit users. In total, the number of Devil Fruit users on board to no less than seventeen, three of which are Logia, the most of any organization besides the Marines, and the second highest confirmed number of fruits within any pirate crew, under Kaido's army of 500 artificial Zoan users. The crew numbers about 2000 members in total.[34] Sugar's Hobi Hobi no Mi power has been used to transform many Dressrosa citizens into toys, which makes her the most important member to maintain the crew's stranglehold on Dressrosa.[17][29] The officers of the Diamante Army who represent the crew in the Corrida Colosseum specialize in fighting and are said to boast a 100% win percentage every time they compete, but all of the members ranked officer and above are said to be strong.[34]

Crew member Vergo was a mole who had ascended the Marines ranks for about fifteen years, eventually becoming a vice admiral, while keeping his true identity hidden from everyone outside of his affiliates. Vergo had bouts with Law twice, a toe-to-toe bout with Sanji once, and defeated Smoker, a Logia user, with moderate difficulty. Eventually, Vergo was defeated in one shot by Law once he was no longer using his heart as a crutch.

They are heavily involved in underworld brokering (including slavery, and the production and distribution of various types of weapons) in the New World, making them both very influential and very powerful. They are known to have destroyed entire towns on a whim, as stated by Baby 5. The crew also seems to excel in teamwork, as when Baby 5 and Buffalo fought Franky Shogun, their teamwork was near flawless and they demonstrated great skill in using each other's powers in combat. The crew also once consisted of Trafalgar Law, a powerful pirate rookie who would go on to become a Shichibukai as well, with a former bounty of 440,000,000, prior to him leaving for his own interests. Law was considered by Doflamingo for a place among his four top subordinates, the heart chair, which to this day remains empty.[9][25]

In the early years, the Donquixote Pirates dealt in the underworld acquisition and trade of true Devil Fruits. Later, the crew collaborated with Vegapunk's former colleague and rogue scientistCaesar Clown and has him produce Artificial Devil Fruit, SMILES, to be sold in the underworld. The scientist is the only person able to produce a substance called SAD, something which Doflamingo values greatly. They have also formed an alliance with Kaido, one of the Yonko, having supplied him with SMILES for his Zoan army.[37] Having powerful allies such as these prove the Donquixote Pirates are a faction to be reckoned with. During the hostage exchange situation, Doflamingo declared Caesar as his subordinate, thus recruiting the scientist as a full member of the crew.[26]

Doflamingo is also the king of Dressrosa which gives them a lot of resources. Being a former Celestial Dragon,[3] Doflamingo has enough connections to get a fake story printed in the newspaper, making everyone think he had abdicated his throne when in fact he was still the king.[5]

Recently the crew has been weakened with the deaths of Monet and Vergo, and the alliance with Kaido has become unstable as the Yonko has no problem with killing Doflamingo if he displeases him and Doflamingo has lost control of Caesar, the one man capable of producing SAD, the thing which is the driving force behind their alliance.[38] Also, both Law and Viola defected,[39][27] and Bellamy was dismissed for his repeated failure, with Dellinger assigned to eliminate him for good.[27] The crew eventually lost control over Dressrosa when Sugar fell unconscious due to Usopp.[31]

During their voyage from the North Blue into and through the Grand Line 16 years ago, the Donquixote Pirates sailed in a ship shaped like a flamingo wearing Doflamingo's sunglasses.[40] It is unknown whether that ship is still in use.

The tanker is a paddle-wheel driven ship with three masts. At its bow is a spherical figurehead bearing the jolly roger of the Donquixote Pirates and a safety rail. Further aft of the bow are two large domed tanks with openings at the top, radioactive symbols on the sides, and hazard stripes around their circumferences. The masts are positioned immediately in front, behind, and between the tanks. They have dark sails and at least one of them has a crow's nest with a flag at the top. On the ship's hull is the Donquixote Pirates' jolly roger, the letters SAD, and an awning that partially covers the paddle-wheels. On either side of the roof are two small spires.

The ship is partly caked with Shinokuni since it was outside at the time of the gas's release. The hull also has two holes in it due to Caesar Clown crashing through it. The bridge is a flat, multistory building with two buttress-like beams jutting out from the top. Despite its appearance, the bridge is actually quite spacious, as Law turned it into a sick bay so he could cleanse the imprisoned children of the drugs Caesar put in them.[42]

When Vergo heard that a SAD tanker was heading to Punk Hazard from Dressrosa, he caught a ride on instinct.[43] Upon learning about it, Smoker ordered his contingent to lead the children to safety and then commandeer the idling tanker.

Later, the tanker was covered by Shinokuni, but most of it was removed when Luffy's punch sent Caesar Clown crashing into it, which also put two holes in the hull. Franky was examining the ship in Franky Shogun, when he emerged and saw Buffalo and Baby 5 in the sky. He later engaged them from the deck of the tanker. Two of the masts were destroyed during this battle.

Once the battle was over, the G-5 Marines seized the tanker in order to transport the children as well as the subordinates they had apprehended on the island. Franky was helping them repair the damaged mast, saying they should have told him sooner that the tanker was important. He said he would have moved the fight off the tanker's deck if he had known that she would be needed. Law gave the children treatment to detoxify their bodies in the bridge, which frightened Chopper. After seeing that they were all okay, he told them they would be going home. On the bridge, the children were put in the custody of Tashigi and the Marines, the latter of whom tearfully asked Nami to leave the children under her watch. Soon after, Zoro and a child asked a Marine to get some alcohol and juice from the tanker so they could have it with the food Sanji was making.[42] Later, the Straw Hats gave the tanker to the G-5 Marines so they could use her to take the children home.

While assaulting the Thousand Sunny, Jora and her subordinates used a submarine. The submarine features the Donquixote Pirates' Jolly Roger and the number "08" painted on the side. It appears to be several times smaller than the Sunny.[35] It was sunk by Nami.[44]

The Donquixote Pirates are a very powerful crew in both strength and influence. Being connected with the underworld, they have formed many alliances, ranging from brokering to having spies within the Marines; Doflamingo was able to deceive the entire world that he resigned from the Shichibukai, something considered to be an impossible feat by anyone less than a World Noble,[5] which Doflamingo was due to his family's heritage, although he later lost the position.[3] They also managed to recruit significant individuals and entire pirate crews to become their allies, such as Caesar Clown and the Bellamy Pirates. In fact, as many as 100 people had come to request joining the crew while they were residing in Spider Miles, but left crying after two days from the severity of the training regimen that they could not keep up with; Bellamy, in particular fell from favor after a humiliating defeat from Monkey D. Luffy, and again from losing in the Corrida Colosseum. The crew did not exempt children from joining, as Trafalgar Law, Baby 5, Buffalo, Sugar and Dellinger all joined at their childhoods (with Dellinger already part of the crew even as a newborn infant), and managed to climb the social ladder in the crew to become officers, with Law even receiving personal training from three particular officers in various fields of combat and becoming a prime candidate to succeed Donquixote Rosinante as an Elite Officer, the third Corazon.[45][46][47]

Prior to the latter's dismissal, Bellamy and his crew were attempting to recruit promising pirates for the "New Age" under the Donquixote Pirates' insignia. The crew also formed an alliance with Kaido of the Yonko to create an army of artificial Zoan-class Devil Fruit users, which involves the SAD that only Caesar could produce.

However, this alliance is based more on terror, as even Doflamingo fears Kaido's immense power, and goes into hysteria when the contract was threatened.[16] Their base of operations is Dressrosa, a New World kingdom with a luxurious castle, a swimming pool, and a factory where SAD is processed into Smiles, where Doflamingo is the sovereign due to his position as a Shichibukai.[16] Most of the upper tier members and allies, such as Law and the Bellamy Pirates, originate from North Blue, since Doflamingo has started his piracy there and where he gathered most of whom would become the officers today; Sugar and Viola came from the Grand Line, as they were recruited after the crew entered, while Doflamingo and Rosinante originated from the holy land of Mariejois. It is unknown where the lower ranking 2000 soldiers came from.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, Doflamingo values the officers and above of his crew as his family, due to how he lost his mother and took his father's life. However, treason is one crime that is not tolerated, and Doflamingo threatened to kill anyone who dares to harm any of his officers, a code known as the "Blood Law" (血の掟,Chi no Okite?).[48] He saw Law and Baby 5 as though they were younger siblings, but demanded the former's death in the most brutal fashion possible for betrayal. Although he abandoned Monet and Vergo when they were defeated, ordering them to commit a suicide bombing to annihilate all evidence and enemies within, he expressed sincere regret for forcing them to do so; in turn, both Monet and Vergo, at least, were glad to sacrifice their lives for Doflamingo, and happily bade him farewell, showing a true deep bond between each other. Doflamingo also greatly values his collaboration with Caesar, if only for the scientist's ability to produce SAD, but has no patience for lower-ranking soldiers and other allies who fail to meet his standards, as he tortured and discarded the Bellamy Pirates for a humiliating defeat, ordered Bellamy's death for a second failure, disowned the Human Auctioning House out of loss of interest, and letting a soldier be shot down for giggling at Pica.

Despite this, he gave Bellamy a second chance for growing much stronger and presenting a large pillar of gold as proof, though upon Bellamy's further failures, Doflamingo decided to finally eliminate him for good. The officers refer Doflamingo as "Young Master" (若,Waka?) as a sign of respect, or by his alias "Joker" for discretion. Closer members, mainly the four Elite Officers, call him "Doffy" (ドフィ,Dofi?)[49][25] in a casual manner. Because the crew is dealing in the underworld, it is natural for the officers to be using code names: the four elite officers who sit on the four seats all have their code names derived from the four suits of cards, and Doflamingo himself has the alias Joker. Even Baby 5 and Buffalo are not genuine names.[50]

The eleven officers of the Donquixote Pirates ten years ago.

Similar to the Straw Hat Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, the Donquixote Pirates seem to have a diverse and randomized variety of crew members, as opposed to many crews that follow a specific theme, ranging from children to elderly people, Marine spies to a rogue Government scientist — though the 2000 lower ranking subordinates have a dress theme of luchador masks over the faces and similar cloth sets. The only trait the whole family shares may be cruelty, brutally executing a crewman on the spot for lack of respect at one point. Another discreet theme that runs in the crew is that all who wield the position of officer or higher have some personality quirks:

Doflamingo's penchant for dramatic speeches and poses.

Vergo's messy eating habits and extreme absentmindedness.

Monet's shyness to compliments, even blushing and covering her face mid battle.

Baby 5's propensity for crying easily and inability to decline any request when she feels needed.

Buffalo's tendency to make propeller noises while he talks.

Trebol's tendency of invading personal space when communicating.

Diamante's constant denial of flattery until it has been retracted.

Violet's tendency of getting overly emotional while amazed, a trait shared with many women of Dressrosa.

Jora's habit of mishearing her foes' words as compliments and berating them for it.

Caesar's habit of being easily shocked by things that leave him dumbfounded.

Sugar's constant appetite for grapes, placing them on her fingers and eating off of them.

Machvise's tendencies to both hurt his stomach while attacking and to stand in pirouette form.

Senor Pink considering himself too old for the women who are very fond of him.

Dellinger's effeminate personality and habits such as wearing high heels.

Lao G emphasizing the letter "G" in his speech and even going so far as to make the letter with his hands.

Gladius' short-temper and tendency to blow up his head-wear when he gets angry.

The card game-theme was already used by Ace and his Spade Pirates, making the pun "Ace of Spades". Pica of the Donquixote Pirates uses the spade as a symbol too. Also, the movie-only Trump Siblings share the same theme, with the five captains using the same card symbols for themselves.

The Donquixote Pirates is currently the pirate group with the most Devil Fruit users revealed in the series, excluding Kaido's army of 500 artificial Devil Fruit users, having at least 17 in total. Incidentally, most of the Devil Fruit users are Paramecia, and three are Logia, with no Zoan users at all. The only three high-ranking members that lack abilities are Vergo, Lao G, and Dellinger.

↑ 9.09.19.2One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol.
70 Chapter 695 (p. 9) and Episode 621,
Baby 5 and Buffalo meet Law and rebuke him for betraying them and Joker.

↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol.
73 Chapters 727–728 and Episodes 659–660,
Doflamingo of the Donquixote Family returns to Dressrosa along with his crew and manages to overthrow the Riku Family.

↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol.
73 Chapter 728 (p. 11) and Episode 660,
Viola is seen in a very small flashback in which she joins the Donquixote Family in the condition that Doflamingo will spare Dold III's life.

↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol.
32 Chapter 303 (p. 4-9) and Episode 207,
Doflamingo arrives in Mock Town and punishes Bellamy and Sarkies by manipulating them to attack each other for disgracing his flag.